Drying apparatus



July 30, 1957 H. KocH ETAL 2,800,7234

DRYING APPARATUS Filed March 7, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jn venters hfamjcejfan s 770725 er July 30, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 orne 5 United StatesPatent O DRYING APPARATUS Hans Koch, Hamburg-Rahlstedt, `and HansForster, Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany, assgnors to Kurt Korber & Co. K.G., Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany Application March 7, 1956, Serial No.570,120 Claims priority, application Germany March 14, 1955 6 Claims.(Cl. 34-208) This invention relates generally to drying7 apparatus andmore particularly to a conveyor type of drying apparatus arranged totransport and dry elongated smoking articles such as cigarettes.

Drying apparatuses of the type utilizing frames or trays to hold thecigarettes are well known. Usually the trays are of such depth as toaccommodate the length of a cigarette. The cigarettes are loadedend-wise into the trays, which may be screened on one side to help holdthe cigarettes. In one type of prior art arrangement the loaded trayswere introduced at one side of the drying chamber and removed from theother. The drying was accomplished by forcing warm air through the traysfrom a high pressure area therebeneath to a lower pressure areathereabove. During the drying operation the loading and unloading doorswere closed. The operator after loading the drying chamber through theloading door then had to move rapidly to the other side to the unloadingdoor to remove the trays with the dried cigarettes.

An improvement in this arrangement involved a rotating table in thedrying chamber which permitted loading and unloading on the same'side ofthe apparatus. Here again warm air was forced through the cigaretteladen trays from bottom to top.

Arrangements such as this when used in cigarette production linesinvolved alternate machine groups arranged one after the other, eachmachine group comprising the cigarette machine, the drying apparatus andthe packing machine. Usually the arrangement of the machines lacksuniformity and is diflicult to interlock and control. As a consequenceit was usually preferred to locate the cigarette machines, the dryingapparatus and the packing machines in separate rooms.

One object of this invention is to provide a cigarette drying apparatuswhich eliminates the aforesaid problems.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cigarette dryingapparatus adaptable for location at any site in the production systemfor convenient loading and unloading.

Specifically it is an object of this invention to provide a cigarettedrying apparatus involving a conveyor means which may be used to conveycigarettes in trays from the cigarette machine through the dryingapparatus to the packing machine, or, alternatively, which involves aself contained conveyor and drying chamber which may be convenientlylocated along the production path.

The foregoing statements are merely illustrative of the various aims andobjects of this invention. Other objects and advantages will becomeapparent from a study of the following disclosure when considered inconjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l isa front view of the drying apparatus with the housing partlyremoved showing the drying chamber and the conveyor therewithin.

Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the apparatus, and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line Ill-Ill of Fig.1.

In Fig. 1 the trays 1 loaded with cigarettes are carried ice in racks 2suspended beneath an endless conveyor 3. The conveyor 3 moves in aclockwise manner as seen in Fig. 2 and indicated by arrows 5 enteringdrying chamber 6 through a loading port 8 and leaving the drying chamberthrough an unloading port 9. The conveyor belt 10` prising sheetmaterial sides 16, floor 17 and top 18, providing a closed chamberhaving inlet ports 20 and outlet ports 21 in the oor thereofcommunicating with inlet and outlet blower ducts 22 and 23,respectively. An endless belt 25 having openings 26 therein indexed withthe individual racks 2 rotates about drums 27 and 28 within dryingchamber 6 between the rows of racks 2. This is best seen in Figs. 2 and3. This belt is synchronized with 'the conveyor either throughmechanical connection with the conveyor (not shown) or by its own motordrive (not shown). A belt support generally designated 30 is disposedbetween the vertical sides of belt 25 and comprises lowerl guides 31 atoor level and upper guides 32 supported by spaced vertical sheets 33 andjoined across lthe top by a sheet 34.

The arrangement described denes an outer inlet pressure chamber 36 andaninner lower pressure chamber 37 respectively communicating with inletports 22 and outlet ports 23 to complete the warm air circuit. Thus apressure differential is maintained across the drying trays from theouter chamber 36 to the inner chamber 37, the air path extending endwiseof the cigarettes through the trays 1 and through the openings 26 inbelt 25 into the inner chamber 37. The warm air circuit is completedthrough outlet duct 23, blower 15 and inlet duct 22. By means ofbai-lies (not shown), the use and application of which is well known tothose skilled in the art, the warm air flow can be controlled anddirected. To insure eilicient air passage through the cigarette -traysthe individual racks` 2 may be provided with flat rear faces which seatagainst belt 25 about respective openings 26 to form a reasonablysatisfactory air seal. A better seal is obtainable by facing the rearedges of the trays with sponge rubber or other pliable material whichseats against the belt and seals the rear tray edges about the openings26 in belt 25.

With this arrangement the cigarettes are subjected to warm drying airtwice during passage through the drying chamber; rst while moving fromthe loading port 8 to the end of the chamber, and second, while movingfrom the end of the chamber to lthe unloading port. The trays of driedcigarettes are removed from the racks 2 externally of the chamber 6 atstation 35 where they may be transported in any suitable manner to thepacking machine storage area.

At the beginning of the operation some of the racks 2 may be covered byplates such as shown at 2c in Fig. l. Thus as the dryer racks are loadedthe plates serve to block unlimited air flow across the empty racks inthe drying chamber. Naturally suitable controls must be provided tocontrol conveyor and belt speed in synchronism so that proper time isprovided in transit through the drying chamber to achieve proper drying.Again such controls being conventional are not shown in the interest ofsimplicity. After proper synchronizing and indexing of the conveyor andthe belt 25, if such is necessary as a result of lack of mechanicalinterlocking, the synchronized -drive will be brought to the desiredoperating speed.

It will now be appreciated that an integrated dryer ap Paliatus ishereinA provided which affords a high degree of exibility in adapting itto various production line organizations. With the arrangement shown itis necessary to provide separate transporting means to the loadingstation 39 and4 from the` unloading station 38. In some instances thismaybe .undesirable in which ease-conveyorS-may be more extensivethanshown, completingan endless circuit from the cigarettemachine outputpoint through the dryer apparatus to they input point of the packingmachine. l

To simplify the problem the trays 1 may-bev loaded in the racks 2 andunloaded therefrom manually.

Although but one embodiment of this invention has been hereinillustrated and described it will be appreciated by those skilled in theart that this invention is susceptible of modification both in itsdetails and in the orga. ization of such 'details withoutjdeparting fromthe spirit and scope of the principlesfhereof. Accordingly, it isintended that the foregoing disclosure and the showings made in thedrawingsfshall be considered only as illustrative of the principles ofthis invention and not construed in a limiting sense. p

The invention is claimed as follows:

l. Drying apparatus for smoking articles such as cigarettes, comprisinga drying chamber, a conveyor moving through said chamber, individualracks on said conveyor having upper and lower sections, trays arrangedendwise in said upper and lower sections of said racks, an endless beltin said drying chamber synchronized with said conveyor and havingopenings therein indexed with said individual racks so that air iiowthrough said racks passes through said openings, and means forcirculating warm air through said trays and opening in said chamber.

2. Drying apparatus for smoking articles such as cigarettes, comprisinga drying chamber, a conveyor moving through said chamber, individualracks on said conveyor having upper and lower sections, trays arrangedendwise in said upper and lower sections of said racks, an endless beltin said drying chamber synchronized with said conveyor and havingopenings therein indexed with said individual racks so air liow throughsaid racks passes through said openings, rollers intermediate the endsof said chamber guiding movement of said belt, said belt dening an innerchamber within said drying chamber, blower means having an outletpressure duct connected to said drying chamber outside of said belt andhaving an inlet lower pressure duct connected to said inner chamber.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim l wherein said conveyor comprises areversing sprocket in one end of said drying chamber wherein saidA'racks pass in reversed directions along opposite sides of said beltbeing subjected twice to drying air ow during movement through saidchamber.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said conveyor comprises areversing sprocket in one end of said drying chamber wherein said rackspass in reversed directions along opposite sides of said belt beingsubjected twice to drying air ow during movement through said chamber.

5. Drying apparatus for smoking articles such as cigarettes, comprisinga drying chamber, a conveyor moving through Vsaid chamber, individualracks on said conveyor having upper and lower sections, trays arrangedendwise in said upper and lower sections of said racks, an endless beltin said drying chamber synchronized with said conveyor and havingopenings therein indexed with said individual racks so that air flowthrough said racks passes through said openings, each drying rack havingsealing edges thereof adjacent to and contacting said belt about saidopenings to seal air llow at said edges.

6. Drying apparatus for smoking articles such as cigarettes, comprisinga drying chamber, a conveyor moving through said chamber, individualracks on said conveyor having upper and lower sections, trays arrangedendwise in said upper and lower sections of said racks, an endless beltin said drying chamber synchronized with said conveyor and havingopenings therein indexed with said individual racks so that air owthrough said racks passes through said openings, each drying rack havingsealing edges thereof adjacent to and contacting said belt about saidopenings to seal air tlow at said edges, rollers intermediate the endsof said chamber guiding movement of said belt, said belt dening an innerchamber within said drying chamber, blower means having an outletpressure duct connected to said drying chamber outside of said belt andhaving an inlet lower pressure duct connected to said inner chamber.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

